Faust's Little Problem
by CreamCheeseAlchemist
Summary: Faust and Eliza have a problem and you can read it from start to conclusion.
1. Default Chapter

Mankin belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and TV Tokyo… as well as Funimation and 4Kids who better be getting more uncut DVDs out there if they want my money.

Yay! It's my first Shaman King fic! Be afraid, be very afraid. And I apologize if my legally obtained reference and web searching doesn't fit with later in the show, but this most likely wouldn't work in canon because it's even weirder.

Faust VIII teetered towards the inn, weak and filled with hopelessness. This was his last hope, here at the inn rented out by Anna and Yoh. If no one here could help him…

Ryu quickly caught sight of the other shaman, dropped his broom and helped Faust stand up more steadily. Faust smiled gratefully, but his eyes revealed sadness, shame and a hint of fear. Ryu frowned, "What's the matter?"

"Eliza… it's… she's," Faust began. Out of the corner of his eye, Ryu saw Eliza- in oversoul mode and wearing Faust's bulky coat. Ryu looked confused, "She looks fine. What's the problem?" Faust looked down, "Everything. I can't maintain her like this…" Ryu led Faust inside, "Alright. You two come on in and we'll find a best place away from all of this."

Faust VIII seemed a bit stronger after going through some leftover takoyaki. Even though he came when it was just Ryu and Manta there, he felt less despondent. Surely one of them could help with the predicament he and Eliza were in!

"So what's the problem?" Manta wondered. Oh, how quickly does it become normal to share leftover octopus balls and help out people who once beat you up and performed unnecessary surgery on you!

Faust took a deep breath, "Oh, how wonderful it is to be unter Freunden! Ok, Eliza, why don't you remove the coat?"

Manta knew too well what a pregnant woman looked like, having a little sister and all. And Eliza, yes, she was pregnant!

Ryu laughed as Manta began to twitch. "This is some German joke, right?"

Faust and Eliza looked offended. "Das this look like it's funny? I've spent the past 5 months keeping darling Eliza in oversoul mode so we don't lose the baby and my powers are weakening! I can't keep this up for another 4 months! " Faust wailed.

Manta was still twitching, "You… you… and a skeleton…"

"How about a transplant? You know get the baby inside a new body?" Ryu suggested.

"That can't be done this early, can it?" Manta asked, nervously. Faust shook his head, "I tried doing that already," unconsciously trailing his fingers along a new scar on his stomach. He looked right at Ryu, "Although perhaps I can try again…"

Now Ryu began twitching. Out of the corner of his eye, Manta noticed that Tokageroh was equally perturbed. Now that's something, getting a rise from something so slimy that ate its own mother. The two ran out, screaming.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to scare him off," Faust said apologetically.

Manta looked thoughtful, "Maybe you just need other shamans to maintain Eliza's form… Put people on watch occasionally so you can rest from time to time. Sort of like babysitting."

Faust reached for the last takoyaki, and looked over at Eliza. "Hmmm. That's not a bad idea. You think the others will be up to it?"

Manta shrugged.

THE END


	2. mpreg, skelepreg, lyspreg?

Mankin belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and TV Tokyo… as well as Funimation and 4Kids who better be getting more uncut DVDs out there if they want my money.

The madness continues.

It had been two hours since Ryu and Tokageroh had run out, screaming in deadly fear of the m-preg.

Manta had sent out the inn's ghosts to find other shamans about an hour ago, and now he was frantically dialing cell phone numbers.

Faust VIII was losing energy fast. Food had been able to hold him up until now. Eliza's features were flickering back and forth from woman to skull with a bullet hole. Faust's legs gave out. "I failed Elitttha," he slurred as he landed at his wife's feet.

Manta hung up the phone, and glanced at his laptop. "You're going to kill yourself if someone doesn't take over. Come out, Mosuke."

Faust looked up, in exhausted amazement.

"Manta, you can't do this! We don't know when the others will be back. You could be keeping this oversoul for hours!" Mosuke yelled.

Manta looked down, his bangs covering his eyes. "I know. That's why I need you to find the others as soon as possible!"

Mosuke looked uneasy until Manta looked up at him, "I can do this!"

Mosuke smiled determinedly, "You won't be for long. I'll get the others before you know it!"

Manta turned towards Eliza, not even bothering to watch Mosuke leave. Time was running out.

Manta took over oversoul duty on Eliza. "t'k care o'…" Faust slurred before passing out.

In the back of his mind, Manta knew he couldn't hold this up long- having no training- but his friends would come. Manta refused to entertain the alternative.

Eliza smiled gratefully at the struggling boy, as she covered her husband with his coat.

"Ryu! Tokageroh!" Lyserg called out as the two ran past him.

Ryu stopped dead in his tracks, "Now there's something the doctor can use."

Lyserg looked confused, "What're you talking about?"

5 minutes later, Ryu went flying into the air. "I'm a guy! I can't carry babies!" Lyserg yelled. Tokageroh and Morphine face-faulted.

AND THAT'S IT FOR NOW… Here's some of what you have to look forward to in upcoming installments: Faust meets Manta's family, Ryu proves Lyserg wrong, the birth of Faust and Eliza's baby, and more weirdness I will undoubtedly think up as I continue to learn about mankin!


	3. Chapter 3

Mankin belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and TV Tokyo… as well as Funimation and 4Kids who better be getting more uncut DVDs out there if they want my money.

Quick thanks to the Ainu museum online, and all you out there enjoying this bit of madness… now on with part 3! Yay!

* * *

"I'm not sure why you didn't have me train with your brother, Pirika," the foreign boy mumbled in between bites of rice. 

The Ainu girl looked down at the bowl that was nearly half finished. "You don't want to wait here, do you?" she murmured, with a hint of sadness.

"It's not that… but I am on their team and…" he began.

Pirika stood up and looked right at him, questioningly. She was a vision of loveliness with her light blue hair up against the soft, warm colors of the sunset. Her eyes nervously looked at his half-finished bowl of rice. Would he understand what it meant to be offered it? What it meant to offer her the rest?

"Your brother's not going to like this, Pirika but…" And with that, the boy she'd secretly loved all this time handed her the half-finished rice bowl. Pirika was stunned. "You feel the same way!" He just smiled in response as she began to finish the rice.

"Choco! There are ghosts from the inn looking for shamans!" Mic called out.

Chocolove and Pirika looked annoyed. "I'm sorry but there's a problem over at the inn," Mic began.

When Faust VIII's problem was explained in full… Pirika looked disturbed. Chocolove burst out laughing, "Hey, that's a good one, Mic!" Mic laughed nervously, "Um, yeah. It's not a joke. You have to cut your date short."

Pirika put her hands on her hips, "I'm going with you!"

* * *

"You can have babies, Lyserg!" 

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

Morphine and Tokageroh just trailed behind, utterly confounded by their shaman partners' argument.

* * *

With each lap, Yoh hoped Anna would call it a day. It was getting dark, but on a weekend Anna could easily keep him out hours into the night. "Slowing down, are we?" Anna grinned evilly. Yoh's eyes widened in fear. 

"Amidaru! Yoh! You need to come back to the inn right now!" Mosuke yelled.

Yoh stopped dead in his tracks at first sight of the terrified ghost.

* * *

Yoh raced back faster than he'd run all day, Anna turned to the stunned ghosts Amidaru and Mosuke. "Humph, that's one good story. And to think Yoh was running of steam until you came, Mosuke." 

"But Faust did indeed get his wife pregnant in oversoul mode and now Manta's…"

Anna muttered something like, "ecchi gaijin" and headed towards the inn.

* * *

Manta began sweating. He had only performed oversoul a couple times before and never this long. Hell, most shamans didn't hold oversoul this long. He had long since thrown aside his shirt, revealing the scars left from his first run-in with the German doctor and his skeleton wife. Eliza looked at him with concern. She'd never recalled a patient of hers fighting so hard to stay up, and yet this untrained shaman was spending every bit of energy and more to help her and Faust's baby. For a moment, her features flickered back to a skull, before Manta smiled confidently at her through his sweaty bangs. And then his face flickered from human to skull. Eliza's mouth was wide open with shock. How was this possible? 

"Manta! Noooooooooo!" Yoh cried as he burst into the inn.

To be continued…

_Ok, so maybe this is short as well… but hey- it's more story! More characters! Woooo! And my future hints from the last chapter are still on the way! So the question is, will Manta's family meet Faust at the hospital or the funeral?_


	4. Chapter 4

Mankin belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and TV Tokyo… as well as Funimation and 4Kids who better be getting more uncut DVDs out there if they want my money.

Here's part 4

* * *

"I hope it was worth it," Yoh snarled as Faust VIII came to several hours later. 

Faust sat up with a start, "Eliza! The baby! What happened?"

Yoh leapt from his chair right next to the hospital bed.

**SLAP**

The sting still fresh, Faust looked up at Yoh.

"_**They're** _fine. Chocolove and Pirika are with her right now." The young shaman was bitterly fighting back tears.

Faust covered his mouth in horror, "Manta used up all his energy before you could get to him, is that it?"

Yoh looked down, his shoulders trembling and the tears falling from his shadowed eyes.

Faust felt he should say something to improve Yoh's mood. "Well, at least my lovely Eliza and the baby are all right."

Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the right thing to say.

* * *

Meanwhile…. 

Ryu chuckled. Lyserg had no idea of the _real_ reason they'd just stopped at a drug store.

It wasn't cigarettes.

Tokageroh frowned at his shaman partner, "Are you sure this will help?"

Ryu burst out into all-out laughter, "Of course! We hide this in the urinal next time Lyserg goes to the bathroom and fish it out later to check to see if he's pregnant!"

Tokageroh titled his head, "But I don't think Lyserg's pregnant."

Ryu explained, "This test isn't to tell you if someone's pregnant, but if they can _get_ pregnant!"

Tokageroh's eyes grew wide with amazement. Technology like this was beyond anything he could've imagined during his lifetime.

And before you pity Lyserg, you should know he had an ulterior motive in agreeing to stop at the drugstore as well. But why ruin the surprise in this chapter? Hehehe…

* * *

Anna, Amidaru and Mosuke entered the waiting room. 

Pirika was flipping through the channels, but she kept looking over at Chocolove with concern. He gave her a reassuring smile, "I'll be ok. I know what I'm doing."

"Ryu and Lyserg are on their way," Anna said coolly.

And then Pirika clicked onto a station showing _Jason and the Argonauts_.

Eliza grinned and chattered something excitedly in German.

Everyone stared at her.

"Favorite movie of us- Johann und me," Eliza beamed in her lovely broken Japanese.

Chocolove looked frustrated, "I should've guessed this."

Pirika titled her head, "Why?"

Chocolove smirked, "It's been a while since I've seen this but there's a whole scene with a skeleton army later on."

"Figures," Anna said coolly as she sat down.

_TBC… Ray Harryhausen's stuff is awesome! _


	5. Chapter 5

Mankin belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and TV Tokyo… as well as Funimation and 4Kids who better be getting more uncut DVDs out there if they want my money.

Here's part 5!

* * *

Two days later, after much planning, Ryu made his move. He headed towards the bathroom, the home pregnancy test safely concealed in his pockets. He looked around to make sure the bathroom was empty.

Ryu stuck the pregnancy test on the bottom of one of the urinals. Part 1 was complete!

"What're you doing?" two voices called out. Ryu and Tokageroh turned around, facing Ponchi and Conchi.

Ryu ran his fingers confidently through his hair, "Heh. I'm just trying to help. If we can confirm that Lyserg can indeed carry babies., then Faust and the others won't need to split up oversoul duty the next few months."

"That sounds bizarre," Ponchi murmured.

"That sounds dirty," Conchi added thoughfully.

"We want to help!" they chirped.

Outside, Tamao was shaking with mortification. Couldn't they just fetch Ryu normally?

* * *

Later that day, Faust VIII felt strong enough to take over oversoul duty on Eliza for the afternoon. They walked through the hospital corridors, passing the hospital morgue.

"Doctor Faust?"

Faust looked around. Someone was calling him.

"Down here."

Faust and Eliza looked down, facing none other than Oyamda Mansumi.

Faust was amazed, "You all are so short? Wunderbar!"

Mansumi chuckled in a business-sort-way, "I take it you've come across one of my heirs, then."

Faust feel a nervous feeling at the bottom of his stomach, "I've met this boy, Manta, several times. Ist he your son? " Surely that wasn't so bad or so false.

Mansumi nodded seriously, "Yes. Manta's my son. It's actually a relief to know he comes across someone like you and not just that bad crowd he runs with. Do you know how often he winds up in the hospital because of them? And here he knows someone like you, who keeps to the family trade and has such a lovely, respectable wife. "

"Thank you," Faust replied. Eliza just smiled brightly.

Mansumi looked Faust over for a minute. "Would you mind having a look at Manta? The doctors don't seem to be helping much."

Faust looked nervous. "But mein methods, they are not orthodox…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in Eliza's absence, Chocolove had put on _There's Something About Mary_ before sitting next to Pirika.

"Lyserg, I brought you another glass of water," Ryu beamed. "Thank you," Lyserg smiles as he put aside the 8th empty dixie cup.

Ponchi and Conchi fought back the giggles. Soon, very soon.

Tamao looked down, muttering, "So embarassing, so embarassing."

Pirika turned to Chocolove, "Why did you say this movie's about Ren?"

Chocolove grinned at his girlfriend, "Wait and see!"

"I heard that," Ren hissed from the corner. His yellow eyes glared in stark contrast to the milky residue on his upper lip.

Then came the hairgel scene in the movie. Ren stood up, utterely embarassed. But that only made it worse.

The sight of Ren with his tongari up against the scene of a woman with jizz in her hair erupted into laughter. Even Tamao couldn't help letting out a giggle as Chocolove paused the movie.

Lyserg was laughing so hard, he had to leave for the bathroom. Ryu gave Ponchi and Conchi a thumbs up.

Ren looked down, shuddering.

Pirika bit her lip, "Uh oh."

Chocolove, still laughing, looked at her with confusion.

"If my brother comes in now…" Pirika began, her face still flushed from laughing.

And he just happened to, at that very monent.

"Ren, I hope you don't mind if we drink milk from wine glasses, do you? I couldn't find anything el…"

* * *

TBC… Quick thanks to my little sister. She was hanging around while I opened the Mattel Ren figure and we started talking about his hair… and the next thing you know, she brings up the hairgel scene. Poor Ren. LOL

And plenty of more weirdness coming.


	6. Chapter 6

Mankin belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and TV Tokyo… as well as Funimation and 4Kids who better be getting more uncut DVDs out there if they want my money.

Here's part 6!

* * *

Yoh paced back and forth, so lost in his thoughts to pay much attention to the racket in the waiting room next door with the television set. 

Anna looked up at him sharply. "Amidaru will be back with an update any minute," she said coolly.

"I should go and visit Manta. The hell with what his parents say."

Anna raised an eyebrow, "And getting kicked out or getting a restraining order doesn't matter to you?"

Yoh growled in frustration and continued pacing back and forth.

Anna looked thoughtful, "I must say I'm impressed. From what you told me, the little creampuff was able to fully reverse the oversoul."

Yoh stared at her, "What do you mean?"

"It sounds like he was able to switch forms with Eliza."

"It could have killed him," Yoh snarled.

Anna nodded, "And it still might. I've never heard of it actually being done, though..."

"GUYS! SOME HELP!" Chocolove's face was pressed up against the clear door separating the waiting rooms.

* * *

Lyserg looked stunned as Ryu ran past him in the hall, right into the men's room. 

Ryu glanced over at the urinals and picked one just as Lyserg came in.

"Ryu, you really had to go," Lyserg giggled as he unzipped his pants in front of an empty urinal.

"No, go in that one. I just saw Ponchi and Conchi lick this one."

Lyserg tilted his head, "So what? They're spirits…."

Ryu looked at Tokageroh frantically.

"Uh, oversoul mode?" Tokageroh offered.

Lyserg rolled his eyes and continued pulling off his pants, revealing shamrock-print underwear.

Ryu shot a flustered look at the stalls, "Ponchi and Conchi, you two did something else to this urinal, _right_…."

The two animal spirits emerged from the locked stalls. "Um, yeah. After we licked it, we um…"

"Umm…"

"Would you just spit it out? I have to pee!"

"Um, we watched Hao use it after we licked it!"

"Yeah! Hao washed his hair in it and um…"

"He conditioned!" Ryu added.

Morphine covered her tiny mouth in total shock.

"And the whole time he just wouldn't shut up about he dug up your parents right after the funeral, and kept them in his fridge until he got on 'Ryori no Tetsujin' Iron Chef, where he won for his splendid dish from their meat and chocolate gelato," Tokageroh inserted.

Lyserg looked down, shaking.

Ponchi, Conchi, Tokageroh and Ryu looked at each other nervously. Had they gone too far?

Lyserg then looked up cheerfully, "Ok! I'll just use this one instead."

Ryu and the three spirits sighed with relief.

Prematurely.

"Wait, Lyserg! There's something at the bottom," Morphine chirped.

Lyserg looked down and saw the home pregnancy test.

He took a deep breath, "Ryu, we are in a men's room."

"Yes…."

"Only men use men's rooms."

"Uh huh…" Ryu had been peeing the whole time.

"We're both using urinals… in a men's room…. Because we're both men and we cannot not not not GET PREGNANT YOU FREAK!"

Ryu raced out of the bathroom, but not fast enough to miss the home pregnancy test hitting right him in the head.

* * *

"I'm glad you decided to have a look at my boy Manta. I tell you, I just can't get him properly motivated in the family business. Not that you have that problem. The little one's going to be a doctor just like all you Fausts, right?" 

Faust VIII shook his head, "I wouldn't want mein kinder just becoming a doctor out of obligation. All the doctors in mein family chose it for themselves."

Eliza smiled and took Faust's hand in hers.

Mansumi quickly recovered, "Oh, well, you Germans do it differently… You see- this company goes way back… There we go… Manta's room is right around the corner…."

Faust looked at Eliza nervously. She just squeezed his hand and gave him an encouraging smile. There was a whole new radiance to her… could this be the result of impeding motherhood?

TBC… um yeah, things are winding up… There's probably 2 chapters left. XD


	7. Ask and you shall receive

Mankin belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and TV Tokyo… as well as Funimation and 4Kids who better be getting more uncut DVDs out there if they want my money.

I'm glad so many people are reading this bit of silliness and enjoying it. :D

As for the bit about Mansumi being able to see Eliza… From what I understand oversoul mode is a combination of a shaman's ability and their spirit partner that creates matter that is normally used for battles. That is how Faust was able to impregnate Eliza. Mansumi was able to see her for the same reason. That's my logic here. Of course, the oversoul form of Elizamay bemore apparent to non-shamans on account of her carrying a living creature. Oh man, I am such a nerd! LOL

Here's part 7! Man, that's the great thing about summer, being able to work on this every day!

* * *

"TAKE IT BACK!"

Chocolove mumbled something, his lips crushed up against the glass.

Horohoro pulled Chocolove by thehair, away from the door,then quickly slammedhim against itagain.

"He can't take it back if you keep doing that," Anna stared down Horohoro from the other waiting room.

Horohoro let go of the American shaman as Anna opened the door.

Chocolove looked up at Pirika, huffing, while Anna and Yoh sat down on a couch.

"I told you not to do that in front of my brother," Pirika said, matter-of-factly.

Chocolove looked over at Ren, "Does your _boyfriend_ fight all your battles for you?"

Ren shrugged, "Horohoro does whatever the hell he wants."

Chocolove's eyes bugged out, "You're supposed to deny it when people say things like that!"

Horohoro tilted his head, "Why? A couple days ago, we snuck into the woods around sunset and made out."

"He's a good kisser," Ren added.

"So are you."

Yoh looked bewildered. Anna looked amused.

And Pirika? "YOU WEREN'T TRAINING! The three of you were off on dates, slacking off…"

"Um, I was on a date with you," Chocolove muttered.

Pirika sighed sorrowfully, "And what have I done to deserve this? One of you has to be Shaman King. Whether it's my brother… or fiancé…"

Chocolove's jaw dropped, "The thing with the rice bowl… it's a _marriage_ tradition!"

Pirika sniffed, "Of course."

Ren looked at Chocolove and Horohoro sympathetically, "Man, I'm so glad Jun isn't like Pirika or Anna."

Yoh glanced at Anna nervously. Anna just smiled and whispered, "He's not getting off the hook."

Pirika then turned her fiery gaze to Ren, "And you- you're the most disgraceful one of the lot… Because of you, I'm the one who's going to have to carry the family line all by myself…"

Ren was bright red.

"But hey, if I'm the sister-in-law of the Shaman King, that's not half bad," Pirika chirped.

Yoh hugged Anna, "Suddenly being married to you doesn't seem so scary."

Anna sent him flying.

* * *

"Ryu, Ryu, wake up…" Tamao shook the shaman with her free hand. Her other hand was covering her nose.

Ryu blinked before jumping up and grabbing the cause of the odor.

Tamao looked at Ponchi and Conchi who had overly fake "innocent" looks, "Just please don't tell me."

Ryu studied the home pregnancy test. Could it be? "Lyserg… can't get pregnant!"

Tamao walked off, muttering about boys.

* * *

Lyserg looked at Ryu's depressed form from behind a corner.

"Shouldn't you tell him?" Morphine asked worriedly.

Lyserg looked down, "I'm afraid it might ruin our friendship…"

"More than joining the X-Laws?"

Lyserg sniffed, "You're supposed to agree with me!" He ran off, crying.

Morphine watched him go, "Lyserg-chan….

YOU'RE SUCH A FREAK!"

* * *

Yoh managed to land at Faust VIII's feet.

"I'm glad I found you! I managed to get Herr Oyamada to agree to let you visit Manta!"

Yoh jumped up, "Thanks!"

* * *

So Yoh finally got to visit Manta in the hospital. He was still unconscious.

"It's nice to meet one of Manta's friends," Keiko said after a long silence.

More silence. Keiko's small talk wasn't helping. Mansumi still looked suspicious. Mannoko was at preschool.

"I have a question," Yoh finally asked.

Mansumi narrowed his eyes, "Isn't it enough for you to visit?"

"I'm just confused. How come Doctor Faust was allowed to see Manta before me?"

"Maybe because he never sent my son into the hospital. And he's no charlatan witch doctor…"

Yoh burst out laughing, "You really don't know?"

Mansumi glared at him, "Know what?"

* * *

Manta began hearing fragments of conversation as he began to feel more and more bursts of energy again.

"…organs… wound up in a wheelchair because he gave her…"

" …finding this hard to believe…"

Manta was stunned. Was this an actual conversation between his best friend and father?

"…pregnant… kept her just long enough for me to take over…"

"I think I've heard enough. Keiko, do you believe any of this nonsense? It sounds like… Well, I don't know what it sounds like but it's sheer rubbish!"

"NO!" Manta shakily got up. "It's all true."

"Manta! You're alright!" Yoh smiled with weary relief.

Manta leaned back on the bed, "I'm sorry. You've been worrying about me…"

"No, there's nothing you should be sorry for," Faust said quietly.

Mansumi, Keiko, Manta and Yoh turned towards the door.

"If it weren't for you, we would've lost the baby," Eliza said.

Faust put his arm around Eliza, "We owe you so much. I hope we can _begin_ to make amends by naming the baby after you…"

Mansumi glowered, "You… you… this story… it's true!"

Yoh frantically shook his head.

Unfortunately, Faust didn't get the hint.

"What story, Herr Oyamada?"

* * *

Faust raced out of the hospital, an angry little man at his heels

"COME BACK! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT MY SON'S HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS BECAUSE OF YOU!"

To be concluded?


	8. Chapter 8

Mankin belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and TV Tokyo… as well as Funimation and 4Kids who better be getting more uncut DVDs out there if they want my money.

Here's part 8!

_

* * *

Three weeks and three months have passed._

Lyserg fished in his pockets for extra change. "I seem to be a little short…"

"Then you don't get milk," the woman running the hospital cafeteria register replied.

"Morphine, I'm dead meat if I don't come up with my milk shift for Ren. Seriously, he's scary, his boyfriend is scary, his 'sister-in-law' is scary beyond all reason…"

"You know the answer, Lyserg," the fairy spirit replied as she sat on his shoulder and calmly filed her tiny little nails.

"I'm scared… plus it kind of makes me sick…"

* * *

"Eliza ist a mother! We have a girl!" Faust VIII beamed, gently placing the baby in Manta's arms. "Say guten tag to Johanna Manta Faust!"

Lyserg walked in, handing Ren a glass of milk.

"So how are you going to feed the baby?" Yoh wondered.

Anna poked him in the elbow. Tamao shuddered and fled. Nothing good could come of this.

Nothing.

"Ist good question. Eliza is still in oversoul mode until we leave the hospital. But mein experience from the foundation biology courses I've taken is that the mother has to get proper nutrition the whole time. Eliza can't do that as a skeleton because each time a new oversoul mode is made, we have to start from scratch."

Manta looked up nervously, "You mean… she still has to be in oversoul mode?"

"What're you so scared about? You've been in my training program for the past 3 months. You shouldn't end up in the hospital when you do it again," Anna mused.

Manta smiled jarringly and handed baby Johanna back to Faust.

"Why do I have to do it?" Manta cried.

Morphine poked Lyserg.

"Actually, that won't be necessary," Lyserg said quietly.

Everyone turned towards Lyserg.

"Um, you see… I have this condition where I lactate. It's terrible. I'm always having to buy undershirts so it doesn't seep through my coat."

Blank looks.

Manta pulled out his dictionary, "**lac·tate**. To secrete or produce milk."

Ren spit out his milk.

Ryu looked triumphant, "I knew it!"

Lyserg shot him an angry look, "It's not connected!"

Ryu shrugged, "Close enough."

"Wunderbar! Lyserg will breastfeed Johanna!" Faust beamed.

"Horokeu, from this day on, I will entrust you and you alone to get me milk," Ren smiled.

"Lian…" Horohoro purred.

"No time for romance and gratitous use of proper pronunction of eachother's names. Time for training," Pirika shouted.

Anna watched them go, a plan forming in her mind. "So if Pirika's got three possible ins with the Shaman King… I'm going to have to catch up! Yoh, let's go look for that brother of yours."

As Anna dragged Yoh off, he opened his big mouth. "If you actually get Hao to train under your rules, that still leaves you with two…"

Anna stopped dead in her tracks. "You know, that's right. We need to find him a fiancé as well."

"I'm not marriage material," Lyserg insisted as he sat down in a rocking chair with Faust's baby.

Anna nodded, then turned her sharp gaze to Ryu and Manta.

* * *

Jun closed her eyes as the breeze ran through her silky green hair. Bailong couldn't help but look at her. Ok, it was another romantic sunset and her hair looked so lovely against the warm colors of the setting sun.

"Continuing the Tao line falls to me," she said softly with just a hint of sadness.

"What do you mean?"

"Lian is in love with a boy… I will be expected to have twice as many children."

"You know I would help you with that if I could…" Bailong began.

Jun smiled, "I know you would."

He turned bright red, "You don't suggest we do what the Fausts…"

Jun burst out laughing. "Oh no, not that. I'm going to ask the Shaman King to make you live again once the tournament is decided…"

Bailong took her hands in his, "And I will be honored to help you fulfill that duty."

THE END

* * *

Ok, that's my story… and I left an opening for yet another series. "The courtship of Hao"? "Marrying off Hao", anyone? LOL 


End file.
